


a hill that's quietly crumbling

by Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Banter, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, ManDadlorian, Post-Chapter 14: The Tragedy, Protective Cara Dune, cara: haha friendly banter will help right?? (internally: pls help me im not good at feelings), din: is sad, he doesn't get one cause he and cara are both emotionally constipated but he does need one, talk of death/killing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27903142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends/pseuds/Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends
Summary: Din goes to Cara for help after the Dark Troopers take Grogu. He gets her help- but comes to terms with what some things that he's been denying for far too long.(alternative title: mando stops repressing and actually gets some catharsis damnit)
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin, Din Djarin & Cara Dune
Comments: 10
Kudos: 157





	a hill that's quietly crumbling

**Author's Note:**

> Listen WHERE was my "din has a mental breakdown after failing to protect grogu" moment @ dave filoni and jon favreau??? So here's a little drabble/ficlet of what I think happened between Din and Cara after it cut to Moff Gideon's ship.
> 
> Also the title is from the song Kids In The Dark by All Time Low (a song that I think works pretty well for both Din and Grogu imo).

“They have the kid.” 

It took all of Din’s willpower not to immediately break down while uttering those words. It was hard enough to keep it together as he helplessly watched the kid-  _ Grogu _ , he reminded himself- get taken away. He knew he was going to have to separate from Grogu eventually (and wasn’t  _ that _ thought painful enough), but it was going to be on  _ his _ terms, not the Empire’s. And now that he was back on Nevarro, hell bent on breaking Mayfield out whether or not Cara was going to help him or not- his carefully maintained mask of tough indifference was beginning to crack… and Cara could see right through it. The tilt of her head, the shock that melted into a muddled concoction of concern and anger- he didn’t know how, but she  _ knew _ . She knew how much this was hurting him, how knowing that Grogu was in the hands of the Empire was tearing him apart inside- and he had a feeling that Cara felt the same way. Here they were, two people who wore masks, in a way- stubbornly shoving aside their pasts and striving forward without a care for anyone or anything… but then Grogu happened. He wormed his way into their lives with dark, wide eyes and grubby little claws outstretched.

“I’ll help you,” Cara said firmly. Din tried not to let his relief physically show, but he must have failed because Cara regarded him with a soft, sympathetic expression. 

“Thank you,” he said gruffly, standing still as a stone as to not give any emotion away. Cara let out a small sigh, shaking her head in an almost fond manner as she stood up, walking over to Din.

“Of course, Mando. We’ll get your kid back, I promise,” she replied with an amused glint in her eyes. He tilted his head in confusion at her expression for a moment or two, until he fully registered what she had said.

“He’s not-” he began to protest, before pausing with a sigh at Cara’s smug expression.

“Uh huh. Then you’re just about ready to tear the whole galaxy apart for… what reason, exactly?” she teased.

“I was supposed to protect him!” Din roared. All traces of Cara’s teasing expression were gone in an instant, pure concern and sympathy replacing it.

“Din-” she started softly, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.

“Sorry. I- I  _ told _ him that I would protect him. And I was- I was supposed to bring him back to the jedi. But there’s barely any of them left and I don’t even know if he managed to reach any and now the  _ Empire _ has him and-” Din rambled, stopping only when Cara put a tentative hand on his arm.

“Din, it wasn’t your fault. We’ll get him back,” Cara said in a voice gentle but no less determined, squeezing his arm comfortingly before dropping her hand. Din didn’t reply for a moment or two, hand idly drifting to the pocket where the little ball that Grogu was so enraptured by sat.

“I know his name now,” Din said, his voice dangerously fragile.

“What?” Cara said, blinking in confusion.

“The kid, I know his name now. When I took him to a jedi who said she couldn’t train him but instead guided me to Tython, she was able to speak to him through his mind,” Din explained.

“And?” Cara replied expectantly, raising an eyebrow.

“Grogu. His name is Grogu,” Din answered, throat tightening as he remembered how excited the kid got whenever he called him by his name. Cara smiled.

“Grogu… I like it,” she hummed thoughtfully.

“That wasn’t all he had told the jedi,” Din added, not sure if he was going to regret what he was about to tell Cara or not.

“Oh?” Cara asked.

“Apparently… Grogu sees me as a father,” Din all but choked out, surprising himself with how overcome with emotion he suddenly was. Grogu had trusted him,  _ depended _ on him to keep him safe- and how did Din repay him? By not being fast enough to keep him from being taken. Din was shaken from his wallowing in self-pity by a startled laugh from Cara. He snapped his head up to look at her incredulously, and she did at least have the decency to look a bit apologetic.

“I’m sorry, I just- I don’t need to read minds or whatever to know that Grogu sees you as a father,” she said a little incredulously. 

“Cara…” Din said, trailing off with a sigh.

“Mando, he makes these adorable little grabby hands whenever you’re not holding him, and remember when he thought I was trying to hurt you and he did his weird little magic thing-”

“Force,” Din interrupted with an irritated huff.

“Well whatever you wanna call it, he was determined to keep you safe- even if that meant  _ killing _ someone. And I know you would do the same for him,” Cara said firmly. And well? Din couldn’t exactly argue with that. He  _ was _ determined to keep Grogu safe, and now he was determined to get him back by any means necessary. No matter what he had to do, or what he had to sacrifice- it would all be worth it if it meant that Grogu would be safe.


End file.
